Union-type Battle Armor
The Union-type Battle Armor was the standard battle armor of the armed forces of the Echani Confederation and later the Galactic Merchants Union. As an Echani form of armor it was inspired by the actions of their rivals, the Mandalorians. It was known for being just as versatile, even if not as strong as the Beskar armor of the Mandalorians. Background Creation Sixty years prior to the battle of Yavin the Mandalorian Civil War broke out. This internal conflict within their greatest rivals gave rise to a dilemma within the Echani. What if the Mandalorians suddenly turned their conflict outward, towards the Echani? It had always been a possibility the Echani knew but now it was seemingly reality. And to this problem the Echani set out to create solutions. While 'think tanks' were formed for various problems, ships, weapons, logistics, another, as one would expect from the Echani, was set aside for armor. The Echani had for generations been hailed for their mastery of armor. Their armor had always been versatile, as the Maktites learned when simple changes made their weapons useless. However the Mandalorian issue was something more complex they used various weapon types and only one type of armor had ever shown to be effective against them. Their own. This in and of itself posed another problem, the strength of true Mandalorian armor lied in beskar, Mandalorian Iron. The Echani lacked any material of such strength, but what they lacked in resources, they made up in ingenuity. While beskar may have been one of the strongest materials in the Galaxy, it was not the only one with its properties. Durasteel was, while not as strong, one of the strongest materials in the galaxy. Titanium shared the unique irons quality of lightness, and Cortosis, a material the Echani had long since mastered, shared its ability to resist energy. Titanium and Cortosis had long been a favored combination for Echani blades, as had Durasteel and Cortosis. But the combination of the three was something the Echani had long kept secret to themselves. As the only combination they had to come close to rivaling the Mandalorian's Beskar they saw need to protect it. Echani Steel as they called it became the backbone of the Armor that they would soon forge. And it would be the greatest combination of Echani armor making skills in the past 4000 years. Design The design of the armor featured two primary layers of armor, the inner layer and outer layer. The inner layer was an Fiberweave body glove armoweave sections. This allowed the body glove to provide optimum flexibility while protecting areas of the body not covered by the outer layer. The fibers that made up the body glove were synthetic, formulated on a chemical and molecular level for strength and flexibility. The armorweave also gave these sections of armor minor lightsaber protection a benefit as the Echani Steel outer armor plates didn't provide full coverage. The outer layer however did provide coverage for more then 80% of the wearer. Comprised of the aforementioned "Echani Steel" the armor provided excellent protection from physical impacts and energy based weapons. The outer layer provided coverage for all the body save the joints and some of the pelvic area. This was to maximize maneuverability, which was a mainstay in Echani armor making and fighting techniques. The armor its self resembled Senate Guard armor in many ways, which was unsurprising as that armor was based on Sun Guard armor, which itself was Echani derived. Features Helmet The helmet of the Union-type battle armor was a versatile piece of equipment. In addition to being made of the Echani Steel created for the armor it featured a Transparisteel visor that gave the wearier a clear view of the area before them. It featured a HUD but unlike regular Echani HUDs this was a full visor hud that could provide a near 360 degree view of the area and included the VISR Suite. The helmet as with the rest of the suit could be pressure sealed at a moments notice becoming airtight allowing the wearer to operate in environments that were not suited for humanoid life. Accompanying this the suit featured a 20 minute compressed air reservoir. Torso The Torso armor featured little in the way of extra features but was none the less one of the more important parts of the armor. Not only did it provide majority of the suits protection covering the chest, back and midsection but it also housed many of the most important devices. Most importantly the rear of this section was enlarged to house the suits small fusion battery. These batteries burned through power at a much quicker rate then their larger brethren but could still power the suits for weeks at a time. The section of the armor at the base of the neck housed the neural interface that connected with an implant in the wearer. This allowed the user to control the armor as an extension of them self, this was insulated from shock and overload to protect the wearer. Arms In addition to providing protection the armor located on the arms featured numerous tools to assist the wearer. The left arm-guard featured a minilantern that was capable of illuminating upwards of 20 meters away. While not necessary due to the low light amplification of the Helmet system it was a preferred method of visual aid in groups specifically with those without HUDs. The right arm-guard featured a blaster weapon similar to the Dur-24 wrist laser offering similar range and power. Both arm-guards also featured small sensors designed to register held weaponry and ammo amounts. These sensors also allowed the suit to link up to computer systems and terminals without a direct connection. Their range however was very short only a total of five meters. On the underside of the arm-guards Vibroanchor launchers were fitted so the wearer could grapple things from a distance. The grapples were magnetized allowing them to connect to things they were unable to pierce so long as they were magnetic. Pauldrons Fitted over the shoulder armor were shoulder pauldrons. These pauldrons not only acted as a flexible connection for the arm and chest armor but it itself served as a form of defense. While not only made of the Echani Steel but they also housed an Echani dueling shield. These shields when activated protected from sonic and energy blasts and provided limited protection from relatively 'low speed' impacts such as falling or a melee weapon. The shields had their own power source separate from the main battery and could operate even if the suit was without power, but it also meant the suit could not recharge the shields. Category:Galactic Merchants Union Category:Mikaru Clan Category:Mustafarian Merchants Alliance Category:Echani